


Bright lights (cast a shadow)

by dishonestdreams



Series: Luminosity [1]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Friendship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22662556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dishonestdreams/pseuds/dishonestdreams
Summary: Frank's an observant guy
Relationships: Frank Iero/Mikey Way
Series: Luminosity [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630795
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17
Collections: fan_flashworks





	Bright lights (cast a shadow)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the fan_flashworks challenge over at Dreamwidth for the prompt _background_
> 
> Could be read as gen or slashy; your mileage may vary, but either interpretation is probably valid :)

“Why do you do it?” Frank asks suddenly, apropos of nothing, and Mikey shrugs.

“Not psychic,” he points out. Frank snorts.

“Could have fooled me,” he says. “I’ve seen you and Gee together, remember.”

Which, okay, Mikey has to concede he has a point. But that’s _Gee_. It’s different. “Not psychic with you,” he amends. “Why do I do what?”

“Hide all the damn time,” Frank says bluntly, and Mikey blinks, nonplussed.

“I don’t,” he says, because he _doesn’t_. He’s always there with them; interviews and photoshoots, label events and shows. On the bus, in the studio. He’s always there.

Frank laughs. “You really fucking do.”

Mikey just rolls his eyes, because Frank’s full of shit ninety percent of the time, and it seems like this is one of those times. “You’re full of shit,” he says, not an accusation, but just because sometimes these things need to be said.

Frank leans forward, elbows on his knees, and eyes suddenly intent. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“So, you don’t tuck yourself away in the corner near the drum riser every time we’re on stage? You don’t hide in Gee’s shadow every time we try and bring you front and centre?”

“Um,” Mikey says, because he doesn’t _deliberately_ do those things, but now that Frank’s saying it he’s thinking, maybe. “No?”

Frank quirks an eyebrow. “And you don’t curl up behind your phone in every interview and let me and Gee field all the questions? You don’t lurk at Gee’s shoulder every time photographers pull you aside for one of those bro-shots they all love so fucking much?”

“No,” Mikey protests, before conceding. “They don’t let me.”

Frank barks out a laugh, “But you would, right? If they did, I mean. You’d totally let Gee hog the limelight while you slunk off into the shadows?”

Mikey shrugs, because it’s not like it’s any secret that his brother loves the attention in a way that he really, _really_ doesn’t. “Probably?”

“You would,” Frank says, with a certainty Mikey can _hear_. “So, why?”

“I don’t know,” Mikey says, although he thinks that’s probably not entirely the truth. He just…he gets tired of it. The constant attention. The constant demand. The way they always want more, when he’s not sure how much _more_ he can give to them and still keep some of being Mikey for himself. “I guess. It’s nice not to be noticed, sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Frank says, like he _gets_ it, and it wouldn’t surprise Mikey if he does. Frank’s depths aren’t always so well hidden, and it’s not like Mikey’s experience is unique. “Something you should probably know then, Mikeyway.”

“Oh?” Mikey quirks an eyebrow, curious despite himself, and Frank pushes himself up from his seat to drop onto the couch next to Mikey instead. He’s a not unwelcome line of heat against Mikey’s right side, and when he knocks against Mikey’s shoulder companionably it doesn’t feel like too much. It never does with Frank.

“I always notice you,” he says quietly, like it’s a secret. Mikey quirks his mouth, just the hint of a smile, but he thinks Frank knows enough to see the truth in it.

“I’m okay with that,” he says, and he doesn’t pull away when Frank grins and slings an arm around his shoulders.


End file.
